Cortex Innovation Community, Cortex Innovation District, or Cortex is an innovation district in Saint Louis.[5] Cortex is a 200-acre hub of technology and biological science research, development, and commercialization.[6] It anchors St. Louis startup technology companies in the city.[7][8]

Cortex states that once their master plan is completed, there will be $2.3 billion of construction and more than 4.5 million square feet of mixed-use development, including 13,000 jobs in technology.[7][9][1]

The current initiative for Cortex is called Cortex 3.0, $170 million expansion of Cortex to be completed in fall 2018.[10][11]

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In 1998, William Henry Danforth, whom 3 years prior had retired as chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, recognized that the region was not building upon its core strengths in medicine and plant sciences. He formed the Coalition for Plant and Life Sciences, now known as BioSTL.[6]

The idea for Cortex came from the idea to create a district where companies could have a presence with access to talent, new technology, labs and intellectual property in order to innovate. The reason the Midtown neighborhood was selected for the location of Cortex is because the founding institutions are nearby and the Millenial Generation showed desire to live and work in the nearby urban areas.[2][12][1]

To start the initial nonprofit to purchase land, members contributed $29 million USD as collateral for loans and purchasing of land. Washington University provided $15 million, BJC and SLU gave $5 million each, and UMSL gave $4 million USD.[2]

The Cortex West Redevelopment Corporation was classified by the city under Missouri statute Chapter 353, as a master developer of the district. St. Louis Mayar Francis Slay gave Cortex the ability to redevelop the area broadly in the "public interest" with the tools of issuing tax abatements and using eminent domain if necessary, as has been documented as least two times.[2][1]

The first hire by Cortex was CEO, Dennis Lower. Lower executed a plan called Cortex 2.0 and converted Cortex from a bioscience district to an open mixed-used district. Also part of Cortex 2.0 was a shift to startup technology companies.[14]